Despite battling a severe case of pneumonia, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza made the keynote address during the May 2, 2024 Police Officer Memorial. Her words brought tears to the eyes of many officers and the loudest ovation of the day. Below are her prepared remarks.

Police Officer Memorial Keynote Address

May 2, 2024 – 11:00 AM  

Comptroller Susana A Mendoza 

Good morning officers, families, and all of us gathered here today to honor the sacrifices of our heroic members of law enforcement. 

I want to thank Illinois Police Officers Memorial Committee President—former Lieutenant Sangamon County Sheriff Dave Johnson—for your leadership and for the invitation to join you all here today. 

It is truly my honor and privilege to be here.

Each year, it pains me to see more families join the club that no one ever willingly signs up for – the Gold Star Families. 

The sacrifices that our police officers and their loved ones make go unappreciated by most.

Many of you have heard me say before that as the sister of a Chicago Police Detective Sergeant who was permanently disabled while on the job, the gravity of the sacrifices you all make hits particularly close to home.

Just a few days ago, I saw and felt the collective broken hearts of Officer Luis Huesca’s family as they mourned the vicious murder of their young, vibrant, kind and loving son and brother. Chicago and Illinois lost one of our very best to one of our very worst.

My heart breaks for those among us today, who like them, are grieving such unfathomable loss.

And while it is with a heavy heart that I stand before you today to commemorate the bravery of our fallen officers, I wanted to focus my remarks on the officers who are thankfully still standing.

Let me start by saying THANK YOU. God bless you. May he keep you all safe.

Each and everyone of you puts on the uniform and does so knowing that you might not make it home at the end of your tour of duty, sacrificing your life for a perfect stranger. That is a sacrifice that is fueled by the greatest type of love.

Yet too many times, we’ve gathered here after an officer’s life has been robbed by a perfect monster, fueled by the worst type of hate.

I’m disgusted by the vilification of our police force. This vilification of the very people who are serving and protecting us, is putting each and every one of you in danger.

As a society who claims to stand up for goodness, we can’t continually dehumanize our heroes, and expect them not to be dehumanized by the worst of our society.

It is wrong to show more concern for the cop killer than for the cop.

Police are human beings with feelings and families. This job does a number on all of them.

I have talked to police that have pulled dead, mangled bodies from cars.

Compassionately lied to people as they were dying, telling them they were going to be ok, holding their hand, watching as their life fades out.

Police who’ve held dying babies.

Held towels on gunshot wounds.

Or performed CPR on someone even when they knew that it wouldn’t help, just to make the family members feel better.

I know police who have bought lunch for mentally ill people who hadn’t eaten for a while.

Or police who gave breaks and second chances to people who deserved them.

Police who’ve let little kids that don’t have much, sit in their squad and pretend they’re a cop to make their day special.

And prayed for people they didn’t know, because they needed it.

These are stories the public rarely hears, but I know that each and every one of you in uniform understands what I’m talking about.

Our brave officers run towards danger, instead of away from it. They do it for us.

They get shot at, stabbed, spit on, punched, cursed out. And who’s standing up for them?

I can’t imagine what that does to your heart.

I know that the dedicated men and women in blue don’t put on their uniform everyday for the amazing pay, wonderful hours, missed holidays, shortened life expectancy and suicides.

They do it because they have a higher calling rooted in love, in wanting to protect us and their families from the world’s horrors.

They see and take on the worst of the world’s problems so that we can all pretend that the world is a beautiful and safe place.

We have them to thank for our comfortable and safe lives. So again, thank you and I love you for it.

But these officers don’t need us to love them.

They know in this day and age, it is the exception when they are respected, much less supported by their elected officials.

What they need is for their elected officials, their command, and the public to let them do their jobs.

To not prevent them from protecting the overwhelming number of good people from an overwhelming number of bad people looking to cause them harm.

It’s time to recalibrate. 

If we truly want to honor our fallen heroes, let’s commit to honoring those that are living and breathing, sacrificing for us in this most noble but thankless job.

They deserve our utmost respect, our love, and our support.

To the men and women in law enforcement here today, Thank You from the bottom of my heart.

For what it’s worth, I love you all and appreciate you.

May God watch over you, St. Michael protect you, and may you always return home safely at the end of your watch.